Just read the online issue that mentions the Wes Skiles Interpretive Trail. An above ground trail that follows the underwater passage... neat idea!

If I had more money and vacation time, I'd love to get into cave diving. :) At the moment though, I'm planning to sign up for a PADI Open Water Class this June. I'm not near an ocean, but have read up some on midwest quarry / mine dive sites. Those sound interesting enough for me- most of the thrills, none of the sharks.

Letting the days go by / water flowing undergroundInto the blue again / in the silent waterUnder the rocks and stones / there is water underground.

Went over to Scuba Adventures in Bettendorf, IA after work on Friday and am all signed up for Open Water. Don't know if I'll be able to persue this as far as a full fledged cave diver, but I'm looking forward to gettting underwater.

Letting the days go by / water flowing undergroundInto the blue again / in the silent waterUnder the rocks and stones / there is water underground.

JR-Orion wrote:Went over to Scuba Adventures in Bettendorf, IA after work on Friday and am all signed up for Open Water. Don't know if I'll be able to persue this as far as a full fledged cave diver, but I'm looking forward to gettting underwater.

Have a great time! PS - now would be a good time to take scuba in Iowa. I took it for the fall semester at U of I, and took (failed) my certification dive in a quarry in NOVEMBER. That was HORRIBLE timing. Brrrrrr!!!

Squirrel Girl wrote:Have a great time! PS - now would be a good time to take scuba in Iowa. I took it for the fall semester at U of I, and took (failed) my certification dive in a quarry in NOVEMBER. That was HORRIBLE timing. Brrrrrr!!!

Best wishes!

I need to read more carefully, because something just occurred to me. After reading Blind Descent, Beyond the Deep, and Huautla : 30 Years in One of the World's Deepest Caves, your name clicked with me. So wow, nice to meet you, if only online. Those must have been some incredible adventures.

Loved the way Beyond the Deep started- Bill deep underground, upside down and underwater, with the "swoooop n phoooosh" sound from the scuba gear. The descriptions of the Rockin N Rolland area also really stayed with me. Same with the camp hung over the sump. The maps were great, too.

Water + Iowa + November does sound like a very bad thing. Would that be cold enough to need special gear? I have a 7mm westuit that I've worn in Coldwater, but no diving there- just walking, wading, and the occasional brief swim. Still, those first steps into that water can be rather intense.

Any tips for an open water newbie? I'm almost done with the textbook, and have the two day classroom work coming up in a few weekends.

Letting the days go by / water flowing undergroundInto the blue again / in the silent waterUnder the rocks and stones / there is water underground.

Glad you make your online acquaintance, too! I had a 7mm in that quarry. The same I used in Coldwater. Yes it was cold, but also, the problem is the cold face and hands. When it came time to clear my mask (no-brainer in the pool), to do it in the quarry meant I had to have water *in* my mask. I lifted the mask off my face and was hit by that icy liquid. I quit breathing both in and out. Urp!

7mm in the summer will be fine. (more or less)

My only advice is to have fun, be safe, and take things at your own pace.

Ice water to the face (nose and eyes especially) sounds truly miserable.

Well, I thought the weekend class was all classroom work, but we were in the pool for four hours each day. Learned a lot, had plenty of fun, and passed the written test. Next weekend we're headed for the quarry. As of yesterday they were set to pack 7mm wetsuits for us, but it's hitting 96F now so maybe those won't be necessary.

Guess I'll quit hijacking this thread now, but reading that issue of UWS online is pretty much what inspired me to take the class, so thanks.

I'm also really looking forward to re-reading my cave diving books, now that I have a little feeling for what it's like to be underwater.

Letting the days go by / water flowing undergroundInto the blue again / in the silent waterUnder the rocks and stones / there is water underground.

JR-Orion wrote:Ice water to the face (nose and eyes especially) sounds truly miserable.

Well, I thought the weekend class was all classroom work, but we were in the pool for four hours each day. Learned a lot, had plenty of fun, and passed the written test. Next weekend we're headed for the quarry. As of yesterday they were set to pack 7mm wetsuits for us, but it's hitting 96F now so maybe those won't be necessary.

Nah, you won't need a 7 mm in the quarry. Not above 15-20' or so wherever the thermocline is! You'll need it below that for sure!!

Thanks for the split. I will probably have a question or twelve as I go forward with this.

At the moment I'm on pause. I woke up Monday with some pressure in my left ear, along with minor hearing degredation. Went to the doctor on Wednesday. He said I have a minor case of inner ear barotrauma, gave me some drops, and told me it would go away in a few days.

I feel dumb messing up my ear in 14 feet of water. I was equalizing down there, but I would tend to wait until I felt pressure, instead of automatically doing it every couple of feet. Lesson learned, that's for sure.

Due to all that, the second half of my class is now set for mid July. At least the water should be warmer by then.

Letting the days go by / water flowing undergroundInto the blue again / in the silent waterUnder the rocks and stones / there is water underground.

Well, since I'll be on dry land until mid July, I have plenty of time to do some reading on the net. What's a good scuba message board? Equipment, techniques, dive sites, a friendly newbie section , and so on.

Thanks.

Letting the days go by / water flowing undergroundInto the blue again / in the silent waterUnder the rocks and stones / there is water underground.

Welcome to the real world. A couple years ago, I was in a quarry (not in November ) and my eustachian tube was kinda closed down (I think). I could clear, but only by squeezing really hard. I got fluid behind my ear drum. I won't do that again!

Passed my training dives over the weekend, and am now open water certified. I'd like to do advanced open water before fall sets in- the shop here does deep, night, and wreck dives as part of that course. The night dive sounds awesome- being underwater at night has to be a rather alien experience.

But for now I just need to get in a few normal dives, get some practice in, and work on adding some smoothness and grace to my movements down there.

Visibility in the Bettendorf quarry was 5 to 7 feet at best, 1 foot at worst. Down on the bottom- only 25 feet- it got rather dark and cold in a hurry. There's a wooden platform down there, and we did most of our training face to face. Underwater navigation was fun- floating there in all that grey / brown nothingness with the compass was interesting.

We did get to go on several pleasure dives. It was really neat seeing the fish, water plants, rocks, and old trees down there. Like being part of a different world.

edit- I still need to sign up on some of those diving boards. And my ears were fine this time.

Letting the days go by / water flowing undergroundInto the blue again / in the silent waterUnder the rocks and stones / there is water underground.

I haven't signed up yet, but I hope to do so fairly soon here. As long as you don't mind somebody signing up who might not go all the way to a fully certified cave diver. For now, advanced open water is definitely in my sights.

Letting the days go by / water flowing undergroundInto the blue again / in the silent waterUnder the rocks and stones / there is water underground.